Useful phrases related to expressing time (時間 jikan) in Japanese.

Phrases

What's the time now?
今、何時ですか?
Ima nan-ji desuka?

How long does it take?
どのくらいかかりますか?
Donokurai kakarimasuka?

At 2 o'clock sharp.
2時ちょうどに
2-ji chōdo ni

Temporal prepositions

  • About: about 2 hours (約2時間 yaku 2-jikan)
  • After: after 10 minutes (10分後 10-pun go)
  • Ago: 5 minutes ago (5分前 5-fun mae)
  • Around: around 6 o'clock (6時頃に 6-ji goro ni)
  • At: at 4 o'clock (4時に 4-ji ni)

Time units

Hours (時 ji)

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
0時 (零時)rē-ji0 hours
1時 (一時)ichi-ji1 o'clock
2時 (二時)ni-ji2 o'clock
3時 (三時)san-ji3 o'clock
4時 (四時)yo-ji4 o'clock
5時 (五時)go-ji5 o'clock
6時 (六時)roku-ji6 o'clock
7時 (七時)shichi-ji7 o'clock
8時 (八時)hachi-ji8 o'clock
9時 (九時)ku-ji9 o'clock
10時 (十時)jū-ji10 o'clock
11時 (十一時)jūichi-ji11 o'clock
12時 (十二時)jūni-ji12 o'clock
正午shōgonoon
真夜中mayonakamidnight
何時nan-jiWhat time?
午前gozena.m.
午後gogop.m.

Minutes (分 fun)

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
0分 (〇分)rēfun / zerofun0 minutes
1分 (一分)ippun1 minute past
2分 (二分)nifun2 minutes past
3分 (三分)sanpun3 minutes past
4分 (四分)yonpun4 minutes past
5分 (五分)gofun5 minutes past
6分 (六分)roppun6 minutes past
7分 (七分)nanafun7 minutes past
8分 (八分)happun8 minutes past
9分 (九分)kyūfun9 minutes past
10分 (一〇分)juppun10 minutes past
11分 (一一分)jūippun11 minutes past
20分 (二〇分)nijuppun20 minutes past
23分 (二三分)nijūsanpun23 minutes past
30分 (三〇分)sanjuppun30 minutes past
35分 (三五分)sanjūgofun35 minutes past
40分 (四〇分)yonjuppun40 minutes past
47分 (四七分)yonjūnanafun47 minutes past
50分 (五〇分)gojuppun50 minutes past
59分 (五九分)gojūkyūfun59 minutes past
hanhalf past
何分nanpunHow many minutes?

Seconds (秒 byō)

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
0秒zerobyō / rēbyō0 seconds
1秒ichibyō1 second
2秒nibyō2 seconds
3秒sanbyō3 seconds
4秒yonbyō4 seconds
5秒gobyō5 seconds
6秒rokubyō6 seconds
7秒nanabyō7 seconds
8秒hachibyō8 seconds
9秒kyubyō9 seconds
10秒jūbyō10 seconds
0.1秒rēten ichibyō0.1 seconds
0.02秒rēten zeronibyō0.02 seconds
何秒nanbyōHow many seconds?

Duration (期間 kikan)

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
2時間nijikan2 hours
10分間juppunkan10 minutes
3秒間sanbyōkan3 seconds
何時間nanjikanHow many hours?
何分間nanpunkanHow many minutes?
何秒間nanbyōkanHow many seconds?

Examples:

5:30 am
gozen goji sanjūppun / gozen goji han

8:20 pm
gogo hachiji nijuppun

7:41
shichiji yonjūippun

12 o/clock (noon)
gogo jūni-ji / shōgo

12 o'clock (midnight)
gozen rēji